Nippers for railroad ties



Feb. 2, 1960 F. J. RoGowsKl NIPPERS FOR RAILROAD TIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1'7, 1958 INVENTOR. FRANK d. ROGOWSKI BY f ATM/Pm Feb. 2, 1960 F, J, RoGowsKl 2,923,252

NIPPERS FOR RAILROAD TIES Filed March 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FRANK J. ROGOWSKI ATTORNEY United Safes Patent@ i@ M NIPPERS FOR RAILROAD TIES Frank J. Rogowski, Long Island City, N.Y.

Application March 17, 1958, Serial No. 721,767

2 Claims. (Cl. 104-17) This invention concerns a new and improved holder for railroad ties.

In the spiking of rails to crossties in laying railroad tracks, it is desirable to provide a suitable tool for supporting and leveling the tie by bringing and holding the tie against the rails to furnish a sufficient resistance to the strokes of the hammer driving the spikes. Also, when repairing or replacing ties, it is desirable to provide a means for lifting and carrying a tie to the repair or replacement site with a minimum of manual labor. Various hand tools have been provided for these general purposes in the past, but their principal shortcoming has been that they supported the tie only at one point. Such tools made it very awkward to move a long, heavy tie from place to place because of the diculty in balancing the tie. Also, when such a tool was used to support one end of a tie against a rail for spiking, the other end of the tie was loose and was not held level so that it was not possible to drive a spike fully tight by use of such a one-point suspension tool.

The present invention is directed at overcoming the difficulties and disadvantages of prior known devices of this general character and has as a principal object to provide a tool for holding a railroad track tie at two spaced points in an elevated position.

A further object is to'provide a tool provided with adjustable levers for holding a railroad tie at spaced points.

A further object is to provide a tool provided with two sets of lazy tongs controllable and lockable from a remote point.

A still further object is to provide a railroad tie-holding tool provided with manually operable levers for manipulating lazy tongs carried at the ends of the levers and provided with means for controlling and locking the tongs near the handle end of the levers.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

in the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a railroad tie holder embodying the invention, a railroad tie being shown in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the railroad tie holder.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 3 3 of Fig. l, showing a supported railroad tie.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another tie holder embodying a modiiication of the invention.

In Figs. l-3 there is shown a generally rectangular U-shaped frame having arms 12, 14 and a neck or shaft 16 extending from the center of the bight 18 of the frame. Secured to the free end of the neck 16 is an elongated tubular handle 20 having a pair of hand or finger grips 22 mounted on its ends. The frame may be formed of round or rectangular rod or piping.

.I 2,923,252 Patented Feb. 2,v 1 960 At intermediate portions of arms 12 and 14 are countersunk recesses 24 spaced along the arms. The arms 12 and 14 are slidably mounted in sleeves 26, 28 respectively and are secured therein by set screws 30 which engage in selected recesses 24 on the arms. Mounted on the j free ends of the arms 12 and 14 are oiset ngers 32,

, the tongs.

33 respectively.

Two pairs of lazy tongs L1 and L2 are carried by the respective lingers. Each lazy tong construction includes curved and crossed arms 34 and 35 pivoted on a pin 36. Pivotally attached to the ends of arms 34 and 35 adjacent the pivot are one end of links 37 and 38, respectively. The other ends of the links are pivotally joined to fingers 32 and 33 by pins 40. To open and close the tongs there are provided links 42 pivotally joined by pin 36 at one end to intersecting intermediate points of arms 34 and 35. The other ends of the links 42 are pivotally attached to arms 44 of two bell crank levers 47. The other arms 46 of the bell cranks are pivotally connected to arms 48, 49 of an operating frame 50 for Spacers 51 serve to align the bell cranks properly with respect to arms 48 and 12 and with arms 49 and 14. At each end of the arms 34, 35 are formed sleeves 56 in which may be inserted hardened steel pins or bits 54. The bits are adjustably positioned and held by setscrews 55 in the sleeves.

Each of sleeves 26 and 28 is formed with a depending ange 57 adapted to be supported pivotally by pins 58 in ears 59 of brackets 60. The brackets have base plates which may be secured to a channel base member 62 by bolts 64. Secured to the ends of the base member by bolts 66 are two plates 67, 68. Flanged sleeves or rollers 70, 71 and 70a, 71a are rotatably journaled on axles 72 and 73 attached to plates 67 and 68. Nuts 74 hold the sleeves on the axles. Plates 67 and 68 are so spaced that the sleeves can roll freely along a pair of spaced rails of a railroad track with the flanges 75 disposed on the inner sides of the rails.

Frame 50 includes a crossbar 78 secured to the inner ends ot the arms 48 and 49. The bar has a perpendicularly disposed shaft or neck 88 which is pivotally attached near the outer end to a handle bar 82. Bar 82 is provided with a nger grip S1. Near the iinger grip is secured one end of a coil spring 83. The other end of the coil spring is engaged by screw 84 on neck 80. The spring biases and pulls the handle bar 82 forwardly as indicated by arrow A so that the entire frame 50 is tended to be moved forwardly with respect to frame 10. The frame 58 is guided in its movements by blocks 48 and 49' mounted on bars 12 and 14, respectively.

T he arms 48 and 49 slide through 'openings ,in`, said blocks. On the neck 16 of frame 10 is xed a stationary extension bar 85 to the oit-center end of which is pivotally attached the free end of handle bar 82. The bar 82 may have an enlongated slot 86 in which fits a pin 87 so that the frame moves directly forward and rearward when the handle bar 82 is actuated.

The device is shown in Fig. 1 in a position in which a railroad crosstie T shown by dotted lines would be engaged between the pins 54. To engage the tie, handle 82 would be pulled back manually. This would cause the links 42 to be raised by the bell cranks so that the links 37 and 38 are retracted and the arms 34, 35 separated. Upon release of the handle bar 82 or upon moving it forwardly, the arms 34 and 35 would close upon the bar so that the bit engages in the sides of the tie. With the tie secured in this position the tie can be raised by the operators pressing down on handle bar 20 so that frame 10 serves as a double lever which pivots on pins 58. The frame 78 serves as a locking device for the tongs L1 and L2 so that the tie can be transported along 3 a railroad track while the sleeves 70, 71, 70a, 71 roll along the rails.

If desired, the bits 54 can be adjustably positioned with respect to supporting sleeves 56 by loosening setscrews 55. The positions of the arms 12' and 14 in the lever sleeves 26 and 28 can be adjustabiy positioned by loosening the hand screws 30, moving the frame to a new position in the sleeves and then tightening the hand screws to engage the screws in other countersunk recesses 24.

In Fig. 3, the tie T is shown supported with the bits 54 engaged underneath the tie instead of in the sides of the tie as indicated in Fig. 1. The tie in this position is embraced by the arms 34 and 3S of the tongs in addition to the support given by the bits.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, frame 10a is provided with a crossbar 13a which corresponds to crossbar 18. Arms 12a and 14a are provided with upwardly bent lshaft portions 88 bent again at 89 to support the handle bar 20a. Oiset iinger portions 32a and 33ad attached at the other ends of the arms are joined integrally by a crossbar 90. Shaft 80 of the operating frame 50iL for the tongs L1 and L2 has an upwardly extending shaft section 9i pivotallyA engaged near the end of handle bar 82. Coil spring 83 is secured between bar 82 and a forwardly extending off-center bar 92 attached to handle bar 20a. An upright post 92 supported on crossbar 1Sa has its top end secured to bar 92 by a fastening element 18 for bracing the same. The free end of bar S2 pivotally engages on pin 87 underneath the bar 92. The end of bar 82 is slotted in the same manner shown at 86 in Fig. 1.

The device shown in Fig. 4 operates in the same manner as that of Figs. 1-3 for releasing and locking the tongs. The handle bar 82 is shown drawn back with spring S3 under maximum tension to spread the arms 34 and 35 of the tongs a maximum distance apart at their bit ends. With the tongs in this position they are ready to be lowered by pivoting frame 10al on brackets 60 to engage a tie. Upon releasing the handle bar 82 or by pushing it forwardly the bit ends of the tongs will engage the tie in a desired manner. Considerable leverage is provided by the lever arms 12@L and 14a which can be made as long as desired and positioned in sleeves 26 and 28 to produce maximum leverage. The use of crossbar 90 provides improved strength and rigidity for the frame.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

1. A railroad tie holder, comprising a rst generally U-shaped frame having side arms and a bight portion, a pair of tongs retractably andY extensibly mounted near one end of each side arm of the frame, a channeled base, a pair of brackets on said base, a support pivotally carried by each bracket, each of said side arms being slidably adjustable in one of the supports, a bar extending oil?- center of the center of the bight portion of the frame, another generally U-shaped frame supported on the firstnamed frame, a bell crank lever pivotally secured to one end of each side of each of the frames, a link connecting each lever with one of the pairs of tongs, a pair of links connecting each pair of tongs to said one end of each side arm of the rst frame in a'lazy tongs arrangement, a spring biased handle pivotally engaged at one end with said bar, and a shaft extending from the bight portion of said other frame, said handle being pivotally attached at an intermediate point thereof to said shaft.

2.. A railroad tie holder, comprising a iirst generally U-shaped frame having side arms and a bight portion, a pair of tongs retractably and extensibly mounted near one end of each side arm of the frame, a channeled base, a pair of brackets on said base, a sleeve support pivotally carried by each bracket, each of said side arms being slidably adjustable in one of the sleeve supports, hand screw means threaded in the supports and engageable on said side arms to secure the arms in selected positions in the supports, a shaft extending outwardly from the center of the bight portion of the frame, a handle bar trans- Versely disposed on the end of said shaft, spaced anged rollers rotatably carried by said base, another generally U-shaped frame supported on the iirst-named trame, a bell crank lever pivotally secured to one end side arm of each of the frames, a link connecting each of the levers with one of the pairs of tongs, a pair of links connecting each pair of tongs to said one end of each side arm of the first frame in a lazy tongs arrangement, another handle bar pivotally engaged at one end with an extension of said shaft, and another shaft extending outwardly from the bight portion of said other frame, said other handle bar being pivotally attached at an intermediate point thereof to said other shaft, said 'tongs carrying adjustably positionable bits in the free ends thereof, and srrew means for securing the bits in selected fixed positions in the tongs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,321,909 Hastings Nov. 18, 1919 2,378,570 Mitchell June 19, 1945 2,799,230 Ienach July 16, 1957 2,818,820 Williams Jan. 7, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 552,139 France Jan. 17, 1923 947,958 France Jan. 17, 1949 

